Russia-China defense cooperation major factor for world security

Cooperation of Russia’s and China’s defense ministries is an important factor for security in the region and the whole world, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after talks with China’s President Xi Jinping.

“As far as military-technical cooperation contacts and contacts between defense ministries are concerned, such cooperation is a major factor for stability and security in the region and around the world,” Putin said. He noted joint projects in civil aircraft building.

“We have good prospects and good projects for creating a wide-body plane and heavy civilian helicopter,” Putin said.

Cooperation in the automobile industry was developing well, too, he said.

“We are working along all lines and there is progress everywhere,” Putin said.

“We shall be expanding financial infrastructures. Active work is underway to expand mutual settlements in the national currencies. We shall give thought to new instruments in the financial sphere,” he added, TASS reports.

Russia-China trade may reach $100 bln by 2015 – President Putin
Russia and China intend to raise their trade and business ties to a qualitatively new level as the two countries continue to boost their bilateral trade, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at negotiations with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Shanghai on Tuesday. According to Putin, he and the Chinese leader discussed bilateral issues and key international topics before they were joined by their countries’ delegations.

“Our countries have accomplished an enormous amount of joint work to reach this new historic landmark – a comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation. China has gained a firm foothold as our main trade partner,” the Russian president said. Mutual trade between Russia and China grew by 2% to $90 billion in 2013 year-on-year, he said.

This positive tendency has persisted, and the two countries’ trade increased by more than 2% in the first quarter of 2014, Putin said.

“If we manage to maintain this pace, the level of bilateral trade will reach $100 billion by 2015, and we will go on further confidently,” he said.

“At the same time, we hope that the growth of quantitative indicators will be accompanied by qualitative changes in our trade and economic ties,” Putin said.

“Russian-Chinese cooperation has become a crucial factor of international stability. Our cooperation on the platform of the UN and other international organizations is becoming increasingly important. And we will continue to contribute to the development of regional ties, including within the SCO [Shanghai Cooperation Organization],” the Russian leader said.

Moscow, Beijing say interference in other states’ internal affairs, unilateral sanctions unacceptable
Russia and China are resolved to resist the interference in internal affairs of other states urging to give up the language unilateral sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping said in a joint statement following their talks in Shanghai. Russia and China also called for giving up funding or encouraging the activity aimed at changing the Constitutional order of other states.

“The parties underscore the necessity to respect the historical heritage of countries, their cultural traditions, the independently chosen social and political system, the system of values and ways of development, and resist the interference in internal affairs of other states, giving up the language of unilateral sanctions, the organization of assistance, funding or encouraging the activity aimed at changing the constitutional order of another state or its involvement in any multi-party association or union,” the document said.

The Russian and Chinese leaders call for “keeping the stability of international relations, peace and security at the regional and global levels, settling crises and disputes, fighting terrorism and cross border crime and resisting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”

The parties agree that countries and peoples are increasingly dependent on each other in the modern world amid the convergence of the economies and cultures of different states, according to the joint statement, TASS reports.

Putin’s two-day visit to China may give momentum to restoring multipolar world
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in China on a two-day official visit. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that the president would hold talks in Shanghai on Tuesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping and on Wednesday would attend a summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

During the visit Putin will also hold separate bilateral meetings with some summit participants, in particular, Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

A separate meeting of Putin with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is also planned. “The sides intend to exchange views on all important international issues, including on the situation in Ukraine,” Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told TASS.

In addition, Putin will talk to the former President of the People’s Republic of China Jiang Zemin, “whom Vladimir Vladimirovich knows very well,” Ushakov added.

The visit programmwill begin with the official welcoming ceremony for the Russian leader. After that Putin and Xi Jinping will hold a meeting in the narrow and then expanded format. Ushakov noted that the Russian delegation comprises a large number of ministers, as well as heads of regions.

The visit program also includes the signing of bilateral documents. Then the sides will make a stamen for the press, after which the two heads of state will meet representatives of the business community. The Chinese president will also give an official reception in honor of the Russian president, after which they will attend the opening of the Naval Interaction 2014 exercise.

In the evening, a gala concert and an official lunch in honor of the heads of the delegations, participating in the summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia will be given. Its working meetings will be held on May 21.

The current meeting between the heads of Russia and China is the second this year. They had previously met at the opening of the Sochi Olympics in February. According to Ushakov, the two heads of state plan to discuss important issues of the development of relations in various spheres, including interaction in the international arena.

The side will pay major attention, in particular, to the work within the framework of the United Nations, BRICS group (bringing together Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and a number of regional structures, he said. On the talks’ results, the sides are expected to adopt a statement on a new stage in Russian-Chinese relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction.

A package of documents that is planned to be signed in Shanghai would break a record in terms of the volume. “The package consists of 40 – 43 documents. The package that we have now is perhaps a record-breaking,” Ushakov said. He noted, in particular, that the sides continued the preparation of the contract between Russia’s natural gas monopoly Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

China is Russia’s main trade partner. In 2013, the bilateral trade reached a record high level of 88.8 billion US dollars (1.7-percent increase from the 2012 level). In the first quarter of 2014, the growth of this indicator continued and reached 2.2%.

In the view of Ushakov, if this trend persists, the sides may reach by 2015 the level of 100 billion US dollars, and by 2020 – 200 billion US dollars.

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